Olympians to Obama: climate change is jeopardising winter sports' survival

[Redfairen]

Source: The Guardian

Olympic medallists in snowboarding and skiing have called on Barack Obama on to save winter sports by taking ambitious measures against climate change.

In a letter to the White House, 75 champions, including pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones and Olympians Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Jacobellis said a run of record warm years and sporadic snowfalls jeopardised the survival of their sports and a winter tourism industry worth $12bn a year.

"As professional athletes, representing a community of 23 million winter sports enthusiasts, we're witnessing climate change first-hand. Last year was the warmest year on record, and once again, we're currently experiencing another winter season of inconsistent snow and questionable extremes. Without a doubt, winter is in trouble.

The letter urged Obama to adopt two key measures promoted by environmental groups: new rules that would clean up the country's fleet of ageing coal-fired power plants and a shut down of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/09/winter-olympians-obama-climate-change

[Chakab]

1. That's nice and all, but the President

has CEOs to appease.

[Kolesar]

3. ^weak ... eom

[Bluestar]

2. Oh, please. This is the least of our worries

People don't get that climate change is about survival and our way of life, not sports.

[Kolesar]

4. I do outreach work on renewable energy

And visibility of energy problems in this sports industry is exactly what we need.

[JudyM]

5. We need all the help we can get in highlighting demonstrable damage... it adds up.

Those with the power to act come from a 'how's it going to affect us this quarter?" business-centeric mindframe, and climate change is still viewed as far off.